Can I get Vatican City citizenship by descent?

Generally no Vatican City does not offer a broad citizenship-by-descent route; most applicants pursue naturalisation or a residency/investment route instead.

How long does naturalisation take in Vatican City?

Naturalisation in Vatican City is discretionary or restricted rather than a fixed timeline, so there is no standard processing period.

Does Vatican City allow dual citizenship?

Vatican City generally does not permit dual citizenship, so naturalising may require renouncing your existing nationality.

Vatican City

Citizenship guide · VA

Citizenship by descent is generally not available; naturalisation is restricted; dual citizenship is generally not permitted.

✓ Good news

Eligibility is often wider than people expect a free check takes under a minute.

Capital

Vatican City

Mobility rank

№ 64 of 199

By descent

Naturalisation

Restricted

Dual citizenship

Restricted

Application fee

Varies

Who can visit Vatican City?

93 of 199 passports can enter Vatican City visa-free, visa on arrival, by ETA, or with an e-visa.

Visa-free 93

105 passports require a visa to visit Vatican City.

Am I eligible for Vatican City citizenship?

Tap the option closest to your situation for an instant steer.

Why Vatican City?

The Vatican City passport offers visa-free, visa-on-arrival, ETA, or e-visa access to 165 destinations, ranking it #64 globally.

Citizenship tied to office/residence in Vatican City; no general naturalisation.

Citizenship by descent

Vatican City does not generally offer citizenship by descent.

Naturalisation

Naturalisation in Vatican City is restricted or not standardised there is no straightforward residency-based route for most people.

Dual citizenship

Vatican City generally does not permit dual citizenship naturalising usually requires renouncing your existing nationality.

Fees & timeline

There is no standard published application fee costs vary, so check with official sources.

Tax considerations

Top personal income tax rate: 0%
Corporate income tax rate: 0%
Standard VAT/GST rate: 0%
Taxation basis: territorial (residents are generally taxed only on domestic-source income)

Compiled from the Citizenship Hub law dataset (approximate). Verify with official government sources before relying on this information.

Documents checklist

The documents you'll typically need for each citizenship route in Vatican City. Tick items off as you gather them your progress is saved on this device.

Naturalisation

The standard route via continuous lawful residence.

8 items

Valid passport or travel document
Birth certificate certified copy
Proof of lawful residence visas, residence permits, entry/exit records
Police clearance certificate(s) from current and previous countries of residence
Proof of income / self-sufficiency employment contract, tax returns, bank statements
Language proficiency certificate if the country requires it
Integration / civics test result if required
Application form and fee payment receipt

Country data

Overview, citizenship routes, economy, freedom, and tax at a glance.

Overview

Capital: Vatican City
Region: Europe
Area: 0 km²
Demonym: Vatican
Languages: Italian, Latin
Currency: Euro (€)

Citizenship routes

Citizenship by descent: No
Naturalisation period: Restricted / varies
Dual citizenship: Restricted
Official application fee: Varies

Tax considerations

Personal income tax: 0% top rate
Corporate tax: 0%
VAT / GST: 0%
Tax basis: Territorial

Relocation & living

Driving side: Right-hand

Where the Vatican City passport can travel

Each dot is a destination colours show what you need to enter.

Visa-free
Visa on arrival
ETA
e-Visa
Visa required

Europe

42 visa-free · 1 ETA · 1 e-visa

Americas

22 visa-free · 3 ETA · 2 e-visa · 8 required

Asia

15 visa-free · 16 on arrival · 1 ETA · 9 e-visa · 10 required

Africa

10 visa-free · 13 on arrival · 2 ETA · 18 e-visa · 11 required

Oceania

3 visa-free · 4 on arrival · 3 ETA · 4 required

Visa-free
Visa on arrival
ETA
e-Visa
Visa required
No admission

Alternative paths to Vatican City citizenship

Beyond standard naturalisation, these routes may apply to you.

Residency → naturalisation

Naturalisation is discretionary here, so most applicants work through a residency or marriage route first. An advisor can map the fastest option for your situation.

More citizenship guides

Europe

Andorra

Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 20 years; dual citizenship is generally not permitted; a golden visa (residency by investment) is available.

Capital: Andorra la Vella
By descent: Yes
Naturalisation: 20 yrs
Dual citizenship: Restricted

Read the guide

Europe

Cyprus

Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 7 years; dual citizenship is permitted; a golden visa (residency by investment) is available.

Capital: Nicosia
By descent: Yes
Naturalisation: 7 yrs
Dual citizenship: Allowed

Read the guide

Europe

Italy

Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 10 years; dual citizenship is permitted; a golden visa (residency by investment) is available.

Capital: Rome
By descent: Yes
Naturalisation: 10 yrs
Dual citizenship: Allowed

Read the guide

Europe

Greece

Citizenship by descent is available; naturalisation requires 7 years; dual citizenship is permitted; a golden visa (residency by investment) is available.

Capital: Athens
By descent: Yes
Naturalisation: 7 yrs
Dual citizenship: Allowed

Read the guide

Latest Vatican City immigration news

Recent headlines on Vatican City immigration and citizenship, auto-fetched from Google News.

No recent headlines yet. Check back soon, or follow the official sources below.

Vatican City immigration & citizenship sources

Official government portals and reference pages for Vatican City citizenship and immigration rules.

Law

Wikipedia — Vatican City citizenship ↗

Overview of citizenship-by-descent, naturalisation and dual-citizenship rules.

Jobs

LinkedIn Jobs ↗

International job board with local listings.
Indeed ↗

International job board with local listings.

General data sources & licenses

passportindex.org via imorte/passport-index-data ↗ MIT License

Visa-requirement matrix and passport mobility scores.

Visa data derived from passportindex.org, via imorte/passport-index-data (MIT License).
mledoze/countries ↗ MIT License

Country metadata: names, capitals, regions, flags, currencies, languages, calling codes, borders, tld, lat/lng, UN/independence status.

Country metadata from mledoze/countries (MIT License).
Natural Earth ↗ Public domain

Country polygon geometry plus population, GDP (total), income group, economy, and continent classifications.

Made with Natural Earth (public domain) naturalearthdata.com.
OpenStreetMap ↗ ODbL 1.0

Raster basemap tiles for the interactive visa-access maps.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0).
World Bank ↗ CC BY 4.0

GDP per capita (current US$) and inflation (CPI annual %).

GDP per capita and inflation from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) data.worldbank.org.
UNDP Human Development Report ↗ CC BY 3.0 IGO

Human Development Index (HDI) values and ranks.

Human Development Index from the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO).
Our World in Data ↗ CC BY 4.0 (third-party data subject to third-party licenses)

Intermediate distribution of the Corruption Perceptions Index, V-Dem Human Rights Index, and V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index.

Indices sourced via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0).

Our World in Data states that third-party datasets remain subject to the original publisher’s license see the individual sources below.
Transparency International ↗ CC BY-ND 4.0

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) scores.

Corruption Perceptions Index 2024, Transparency International (CC BY-ND 4.0).

Restrictions: No derivatives

CPI scores are reproduced as factual data points, unmodified.
V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) ↗ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Human Rights Index and Liberal Democracy Index.

Human Rights Index and Liberal Democracy Index from V-Dem (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Restrictions: Non-commercial · Share-alike

⚠ Non-commercial license: confirm commercial use is permitted before monetising the site.
Freedom House ↗ © Freedom House all rights reserved

Freedom in the World scores and status.

Freedom in the World 2024, © Freedom House (used with attribution for informational purposes).

Review Freedom House republication terms before commercial use.
Tax Foundation ↗ © Tax Foundation attribution requested

Reference for personal income and corporate tax rates.

Tax rates cross-checked against the Tax Foundation.
OECD Tax Database ↗ OECD see oecd.org terms

Reference for personal income tax, corporate tax, and VAT/GST rates.

Tax rates cross-checked against the OECD Tax Database.
KPMG Tax Rates Online ↗ © KPMG attribution requested

Reference for personal income tax, corporate tax, and indirect tax rates.

Tax rates cross-checked against KPMG Tax Rates Online.
Wikipedia ↗ CC BY-SA 4.0

Reference for citizenship-law rules (descent, naturalisation, dual citizenship, fees).

Citizenship-law facts compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Law facts are human-curated approximations; always verify with official government sources.

Citizenship Hub is an independent resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the organisations above. Informational only not legal, immigration, tax, investment, or travel advice. Requirements, scores, fees, and tax rates change frequently; always verify with the relevant official government source before acting.